ChakraCore -Microsoft to Open Source its JavaScript engine

ChakraCore – Microsoft will be releasing the key pieces of its ‘Chakra’ JavaScript engine as open source in January 2016

Microsoft will be releasing the key pieces of its ‘Chakra’ JavaScript engine as open source in January 2016- as ChakraCore – Microsoft made this announcement at the JSConf in Florida. The JavaScript engine used in its Edge and IE(Internet Explorer) browsers.

Microsoft plans to publish the key pieces of its “Chakra” JavaScript engine to the Microsoft’s GitHub page next month under an MIT open source license in January 2016 and Microsoft envisions it being used to power the Internet of Things(IoT) as well as cloud services.

As for ChakraCore, Microsoft describes the new initiative as “a full-fledged, self-contained JavaScript virtual machine that can be embedded in derivative products and power applications that need scriptability.” ChakraCore includes the complete JavaScript engine—the parser, the interpreter, the just-in-time compiler, and the garbage collector along with the API used to embed the engine into applications such as Microsoft Edge.

The company says that it will be working with the AMD, Intel, and NodeSource to help develop a Chakra community as it aims to drive the progress of the ‘modern web’.

Microsoft has great expectations for ChakraCore, explaining that it is “a fully fledged, self-contained JavaScript virtual machine that can be embedded in derivative products and power applications that need scriptability such as NoSQL databases, productivity software, and game engines”.

The company has revealed that the initial release of ChakraCore will be for Windows only, however, it intends to support more platforms in the future.

ChakraCore is already designed to fit into any application stack that calls for a fast, scalable, and lightweight engine. We intend to make it even more versatile over time, both within and beyond the Windows ecosystem. While the initial January release will be Windows-only, we are committed to bringing ChakraCore to other platforms in the future. We’d invite developers to help us in this pursuit by letting us know which other platforms they’d like to see ChakraCore supported on to help us prioritize future investments, or even by helping port it to the platform of their choice.